Many of you know how this season has been a complete and total struggle for me. Thanks in part to the release of Invincible, Indiana, I haven’t had the time and energy to make this site the best it can be every single day. The maintenance and business side of running my own site has gotten overwhelming. I hate waking up in the morning and posting an open thread because I know I have nothing else to give. Every time I do that, I feel like I’ve failed.

At the same time, my inbox greets me with daily notes of encouragement and support from all of you who have ‘willed’ me through this season. 18to88.com stopped being just my site a long time ago. It belongs to all of you who come here and invest so much time and energy. I’m so grateful that this has become a place you want to be. Thanks.

In deciding to close 18to88.com, it was important to me to find a way to keep writing about the Colts, but in a way that affords me time to do what I really want to do: write books. For that reason, I’ve decided to become part of a bold new venture that has the potential to change the way the Colts are covered on the internet.

Today, we are announcing the launch of ColtsAuthority.com.

ColtsAuthority will be made of up of some of the best online writers and dedicated to giving you true up to the minute coverage of the Indianapolis Colts. Our goal is to make ColtsAuthority, the first place you need to go for the best news, commentary, research, and community aspects of Colts fandom.

I will be writing twice weekly, on Mondays and Fridays. That means my post-game reaction column and Eyes in the Backfield will return for 2012. I will also bring over Who to Root For. Todd Smith will continue to supply daily links. Part of my decision to participate in this venture was predicated on the fact that ColtsAuthority will most definitely NOT be my site. I will not be acting as editor or manager. I’m there to write. Nothing more.

Upon launch, the URL 18to88.com will redirect to ColtsAuthority.com, but the site and the articles will remain intact.

The fact is that you are the best readers in the world, and you deserve the best website possible. This change makes it possible for us to give it to you. It’s more than a little painful to close the doors on something I’ve spent five years building, I’m not going to lie to you. This site is an expression of my personality and interests in a unique way, and I’m going to miss that. Ultimately, it isn’t sustainable.

18to88.com is going away so that I don’t have to.

This time next year, we’ll all be glad for it.

Official press release

In a continued effort to provide Colts fans with insightful analysis, alternative perspectives on Colts news, and a rewarding community experience, 18to88.com is uniting with fellow bloggers to form a new site – ColtsAuthority.com – which will launch in the coming weeks.

Coltzilla founder Brett Mock, Coltsider’s Kyle Rodriquez, and myself have been privileged to work with a number of talented writers, who will also join us in this venture. The features and personalities you have come to know will continue to offer their specialties, including Greg Cowan with the Pre-Games Pancakes game previews and Check it to Pancakes podcast, Joe Baker with statistical analysis, and Laura Calaway with injury reports. We are also joined by a number of contributors who have been active in the Colts blogosphere – Jake Crocker, Adam Johnson, Scott Kacsmar, Jared Mallot, Evan Reller, Ben Savage, and Todd Smith.

Colts Authority will be your one-stop location for all of the latest news, analysis, and commentary on the Indianapolis Colts. It will offer the most comprehensive, professional, and entertaining online venue for Colts fans to gather, learn, and connect.

We hope you will join us when we celebrate Colts Authority’s official unveiling in the coming weeks. A landing page will be up soon for each of our readers to input an e-mail address for newsletters and notification on site developments. I’ll also be posting updates as we get closer to the launch date.

Please use this post to discuss this announcement, provide feedback in comments, or to issue us any suggestions as the site develops at info@coltsauthority.com.

I’ll also be a guest on a special episode of the Check to Pancakes podcast from 7-9:00 pm EST tonight for a discussion with the new site’s staff. There will be an open thread at Coltzilla for discussion during the podcast.